Educational Science

New Obesity Treatment: Gas-Filled Balloons

SAN DIEGO – A new obesity treatment that involves swallowing a capsule that contains a balloon may help people lose more weight than they would by just dieting, a new study suggests. For the treatment, people swallow a small capsule that contains a balloon, which a doctor then inflates with...

US Obesity Rates Start to Level Off

After years of soaring to new heights, obesity rates in the U.S. appear to be leveling off, according to a new report. The report found that, from 2015 to 2016, adult obesity rates remained stable in 45 states. Rates increased in just four states — Colorado, Minnesota, Washington and West...

People with obesity could benefit from magnetic or electric stimulation of the brain that helps them to eat less, a new review of studies finds. In the review, researchers looked at the latest work on two noninvasive brain-stimulation techniques, and found that for people with obesity, both electrical and magnetic...

Most and Least Obese States in 2016: Full Rankings

A new report ranks the most and least obese U.S. states in 2016. West Virginia had the highest obesity rate, with 37.7 percent of residents who are obese, while Colorado had the lowest rate, at 22.3 percent. [Read the full story on state obesity rates]. The full list is below....

Obesity Numbers Overtake Underweight Population

Across the globe, people have long been tipping the scales toward excessive increasing heaviness. Now, new research finds that more of the world's population is obese than underweight. Over the past 40 years, we have changed from a world in which underweight prevalence was more than double that of obesity...

About-Face on 'Obesity Paradox': Extra Fat Does Raise Risk of Death

Being overweight or obese at some point in adulthood may increase the risk of early death, a new study finds. The findings contradict the so-called obesity paradox, a phenomenon seen in previous studies in which overweight people seemed to have a reduced risk of early death compared to those who...

Mothers' Obesity Linked with Biologically 'Older' Newborns

Babies whose mothers are obese may be biologically older than babies whose mothers are a normal weight, a new study from Belgium suggests. Researchers analyzed information from 743 mothers ages 17 to 44, and their newborn babies, using samples of umbilical cord blood obtained from each newborn immediately after delivery....

Fat Flora? Gut Bacteria Differ in Obese Kids

Obese children have a different population of microorganisms living in their intestinal tracts, compared with lean children, researchers have found. These microorganisms appear to accelerate the conversion of carbohydrates into fat, which then accumulates throughout the body, the researchers said. The study is the first to find a connection between...

Stress from Negative Life Events Linked to Obesity in Women

More stress in a woman's life may widen her waistline, a new study reveals. Researchers found that middle-age and older women who experienced more stress from major life events were more likely to develop obesity than women who did not report any stressful events, according to the study, which was...

Overweight Kids More Likely to Be Ostracized

For middle schoolers, obesity can lead to unreciprocated friendships and even cause peers to actively dislike a child, new research finds. The study, published today (June 7) in the journal PLOS ONE, adds to a body of research detailing how being overweight as a child can lead to social and...